


How Little We Know

by Asgardian_Pirate



Series: Tales of an Asgardian Prince and an Angel of Heaven [2]
Category: Supernatural, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Disturbing Themes, Language, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-06-24
Updated: 2014-02-12
Packaged: 2017-11-08 10:15:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/442103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asgardian_Pirate/pseuds/Asgardian_Pirate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The world has grown quiet in the months after the Chitauri invasion, but intentions spoken as whispers can carry great distances, whether fueled by malice, scheme, or fondness; the reciprocation of which can be devastating.</p><p>[on hiatus]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Be sure to read Part 1 of this series, "Tethered and Broken", or this will not make much sense! Enjoy!
> 
> (Spoiler warning - this fic is set after The Avengers movie, and season 7 of Supernatural)

Footsteps faintly echoed across the stone walls, attracting Loki’s attention briefly before he resumed his observation of the birds fluttering about the garden.

“Would you leave me not to my solitude?” he asked. The footsteps halted behind him, armor clinking with movement.

“You are in constant binding,” the voice stated. Loki glanced down at the shackles around his wrists. “In essence, you are also in constant solitude, even amongst your people.” Loki turned en pointe, his eyes burning.

“What are these words you speak, Heimdall? _My_ people?” He hissed. “And what of your visit here? Why are you not at your station?”    


“The eyes see what they expect to see.”

“They expect to see you standing at the edge of the shattered Bifröst.”

“And so they do.” 

Loki regarded the man, leaning his back against the stone railing of the balcony, a smirk on the edge of his lips. 

“You are not Heimdall of Asgard,” he commented. “Either you are a projection or a shapeshifter of some sort.” 

“Better,” he replied. Loki tilted his head, eyeing Heimdall curiously. “Follow me.”  The god turned around and began walking down the hallway, Loki hesitantly following.

“If it is not an already obvious issue, suspicions will grow,” Loki stated, peering down the various hallways they passed as they treaded through the House of Odin. 

“What do they expect when they see you, Loki?” Heimdall asked. 

“Trickery,” Loki answered flatly. Heimdall smirked. 

“And what prevents you from doing so?” Loki brought his hands to the level of his chest, eyes analyzing the shackles.

“Magical binding.” Heimdall merely nodded. “They know I cannot break these constraints, and so they know I cannot escape.”

“They  _expect_ ,” Heimdall corrected. Loki frowned, glancing at Heimdall as they walked out into the stone courtyard. 

“You’re not suggesting that I, or even you, could break these bonds?” Loki questioned, his eyes landing on the familiar fountain in the middle of the courtyard, temporarily distracting him.

“We can’t,” Heimdall agreed. “But I know of someone who can.” 

“Who?” Loki asked, his heart rate increasing. “Are they of Asgard?”

“No.” 

“Wait a moment.” Loki grabbed Heimdall’s shoulder, stopping him next to a stable. “If they are not of Asgard, then they are of a different realm.”

“Obviously,” Heimdall retorted. Loki’s lips pressed into a firm line, his grip tightening on the god’s shoulder. 

“Watch your tongue,” Loki uttered. “Now, how am I to visit this being without the Bifröst or magic?” 

Heimdall stepped away from him, climbing up onto one of the horses in the stable. “Get on.”

Loki stared up at him, brow furrowing. “You’re not serious.” Heimdall merely peered at him from on top of the horse, and Loki sighed, climbing resignedly upon the beast with him. Heimdall spurred the horse into a steady gallop, the structures of the city blurring past them as they rode on towards the edge of the city. As they approached the end of the bridge, Heimdall slowed the horse, allowing them to climb off. 

“That was rather simple,” Loki commented, staring out at the expanse of space. “I am wary.”

“There is no need, Loki of Asgard,” Heimdall replied. Loki turned around to see Heimdall raising his hand over the bridge, mumbling incantations under his breath. A symbol appeared, carved into the Bifröst, the markings glowing bright. “Come. Stand here.”

Loki glanced at Heimdall before regarding the symbol. He approached it slowly, adrenaline shooting through his veins. 

“What is this sigil? I have never come across it before,” he said, stopping right outside of it. 

“A doorway.” 

Loki swallowed, his gaze caught by the symbol’s brilliant light. “To where?” 

“Freedom.” 

Loki stepped into the sigil, glancing up at Heimdall to see that his eyes were as dark as night. 

A chill ran down his spine as the god smiled at the prince. 

“What matter of creature are you?” Loki questioned. 

“Sorry, kid. You’ll have to take that up with the boss.” Loki frowned. 

“You speak as if you’re-”

“Hold on! The door is opening!”

Loki looked down to notice the light wrapping around his legs, a high pitch noise growing in his ears. The bridge began to tremble, and black smoke shot out of Heimdall, his screams blocked out by the increasing piercing sound. The black smoke swirled around Loki, as if he were caught in the middle of storm, and he gritted his teeth as he was slowly pulled down into the sigil, Asgard becoming a faint light as he was swallowed by darkness.

\---

“Morning, darling.” 

Loki opened his eyes, automatically analyzing the room he was in. His eyebrows rose at how lavish it all seemed; the fine furniture and furnishings, a small fire crackling within a dark marble fireplace, and a small bar with various bottles and glasses sitting in the corner. Even the man standing in the room with him was dressed in a finely tailored suit. 

“I assume you are the...boss of that creature who controlled Heimdall,” Loki spoke carefully. The man nodded. 

“Possession. It’s a marvelous thing. Look at how far it’s gotten you,” he said, gesturing to Loki. Loki looked down to see that his hands were unbound. He flexed his fingers and rotated his wrists, raising an eyebrow at his host. 

“What technique did you use to free me? Surely magic cannot cancel out all other magic, especially that of my....of Odin’s company.” 

“Ah!” The man held up his finger. “A magician never reveals his tricks.” 

Loki chuckled.“Yes, when he is aware of how inadequate his skills are.” 

The man clicked his tongue. “I’m beginning to like you. However,” the man paused to sip from his glass. “Your tricks won’t work on me. I am the master of manipulation.”

“I am the god of mischief.”

“So I’ve been told.” The man raised his eyebrows, stepping towards the bar. “Fancy a drink?”

“Plays at hospitality will not further your endeavors, so why pretend? You freed me for a reason.”

“Good man,” he complimented, fixing another glass of alcohol. “Getting right down to business. As much as I admire that, hospitality is actually important to me. So,” he handed the glass to Loki, who took it cautiously. “Enjoy it. It’s my favorite, and I never share. You should feel honored.” 

Loki sipped at the beverage, the liquid burning smoothly down his throat. He sighed. “It is quite good.”

“Of course it is; I supplied it.” 

Loki regarded the man as he sat down in a chair in front of him, his mind racing with possibilities. 

“I can hear your mind working.” 

Loki laughed, the sound strange to his ears. “You cannot expect me to not have my suspicions.”

“You’d be an idiot if you didn’t,” the man replied. “So, you’re Loki of Asgard. You’ve been in the news lately. Quite the celebrity, if I’m not mistaken.” When Loki didn’t respond, the man continued. “What was it...an alien invasion? Quite the card, mate. Unfortunate that it didn’t work out for you.”

“Yes. Unfortunate,” Loki said firmly. The man nodded, taking another drink from his glass. 

“It happens to the best of us.” 

Loki tilted his head, narrowing his eyes. “You know of me, but I know nothing of you. Is this a common practice with your...hospitality?” 

“Ah, where are my manners?” The man set his glass onto the table next to him. “The name’s Crowley, King of Hell. And, might I say, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

\---

“Really? Move out of the way, you son-of-a-bitch!” 

“Dean! Yelling at the other drivers isn’t going to help.”

“If they get one scratch on my Baby, they’re going to regret it,” Dean mumbled, gripping the steering wheel of the Impala tighter, his knuckles turning white.

“Hey, you’re the one who decided to drive her into New York instead of taking Cas up on that offer to just fly us here,” Sam argued. Dean glanced over at him, frowning. 

“We finally have time off, and I wanted to take her to see the sights. So bite me,” he huffed.

“Jerk.”

“Bitch.”

Dean steered the Impala down a street and pulled into the parking lot of their hotel, turning off the car’s ignition as he stared up at the buildings around them through the windshield. He whistled, opening the door and stepping out to look up even higher, the skycrapers soaring above them.

“How many floors did you say it was, Sammy?” 

“Thirty....four, I think?”

“Dude,” Dean laughed, running around to the trunk of the Impala to grab his bags. “This is going to be so awesome.” 

Sam chuckled, grabbing his own bags before shutting the trunk. “You look like a kid in Disney World, Dean.”

Dean turned to look at him, exasperated. “Sam. We’re staying in nice hotel, yeah, a hotel instead of a motel, for once, in freaking New York City. I have a right to be excited.” 

“Well, we may not get to do much since that invasion a few months back rea-”

“Okay, one,” Dean interrupted, pointing his finger. “You’re already souring my mood, and this trip hasn’t even really started yet. And two, the government has already cleaned up and fixed most of that mess; no way they’re missing out on tourist dollars for long.”

“That’s a cynical viewpoint,” Sam commented, adjusting his bag on his shoulder.

“Not cynical, Sammy; realistic.”

“Just, watch what you say, alright? This city has seen its share of tragedy.” 

Dean's face fell as he glanced at the ground. “I didn’t mean-”

“I know,” Sam stopped him. Dean nodded in return, his face brightening as he turned to head towards the hotel’s doors. 

“Right. Let’s check out the digs,” he said over his shoulder, his pace quickening as he approached the building, Sam chuckling behind him.

\---

“Yeah, Cas, Dean is settling really well,” Sam said, his voice muffled by shouts in the background.

“Dude! Do you see this freaking view? Ha, ha!” Dean’s voice filtered through the phone. Castiel chuckled, pressing his cell phone closer to his ear. 

“As you can tell,” Sam continued. Cas could imagine the younger Winchester’s eyes roll. 

“I will arrive shortly. I’ve just had to arrange a quick investigation of an area in the west,” the angel stated, glancing around an open field.  

“Are you sure everything is-”

“Holy shit, you can see Stark Tower from here!” Cas heard Dean exclaim. “Sam, that’s one stop we have to make.” 

“Would you shut up?” Sam’s voice shouted away from the phone. Cas heard a brief mumble and the squeak of a mattress. “Anyways,” Sam returned to talking with Castiel. “Everything going alright out there?” He asked. 

“Yes. It was a me-”

“Oh my God, this bed feels  _awesome_ .”

Castiel cleared his throat as he heard Sam hit Dean. “It was a mere wendigo appearance,” he continued. “ I killed the beast, but I was just performing a follow-up in the case of others inhabiting the area. There have been no signs of further activity.” 

“Good to hear it. But,” Sam paused, sighing. “Shouldn’t you relax? I mean, we did just get rid of the whole Leviathan problem.”

“Yeah, Cas, get your ass out here,” Dean called from across the room. Castiel smirked, kneeling down into the grass and running his hand over its surface. 

“I’ll be there within the hour,” he promised. 

“Alright. See you then,” Sam closed. Cas could hear Dean speak about something along the lines of a nap before the call ended. Castiel placed the cell phone in the pocket of his trenchcoat, now placing both hands onto the crisp, dry grass. 

The angel moved his hands along the grooves of the indented ground, searching for an energy signature. His search ended when he registered the energy, faint but lingering. The Bifröst had not been used in a long time. 

Castiel glanced up at the skies over New Mexico, finding himself wishing to see the expanse of stars that covered Asgard. He felt the tether within him pull, the dull ache filling his chest. The angel shook his head, willing those thoughts away as he had before, focusing on the task at hand. He had sensed a being not of this realm arrive on Earth, but no known portals had been used, including the Bifröst; Castiel assumed it was still broken, considering how Thor arrived to aid in the effort against Loki and the Chitauri a few months ago. 

_Loki._

The angel was unaware of what punishment the prince was dealt after being returned to Asgard, but he attempted to visit the god’s dreams once again, only finding that Loki had completely severed his mind from outside influences. 

_No doubt a factor in your blind ambition_ , Castiel thought. He had considered visiting the city more than once, but decided against it. Simply arriving would draw too many questions, and the heightened security, enforced after Loki’s scheme, would make his invisible observation nearly impossible. 

Castiel felt the otherworldly presence shift, and he briefly wondered if Thor had returned to Earth. The visit could be for several purposes, and Castiel attempted not to hold automatic assumptions, but his heart began to thud wildly inside his rib cage. He would only find answers in those who Thor kept as company, or even friends. He stood up from the ground, closing his eyes as he unfurled his ethereal wings, and flew to New York City.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have finally posted the first chapter. I hope you all enjoyed, and I'm excited to bring you more! Please leave comments/kudos, and share with any of your fellow Supervenger fans. Be on the lookout for the next update! :-)
> 
> Yeah, Dean and Cas didn't go to Purgatory, hence this being "AU". Eheheh.
> 
> Many things are shrouded in mystery...but only for now! Things will be made clear in due time.


	2. Chapter 2

"JARVIS, I'm assuming that these fluctuations have to do with the arc reactor?"   


"That was my first conclusion, sir. However, my scans suggest that there are no problems with either the power source, nor the connectivity." 

"So, what are we looking at here?" Tony asked, displaying a hologram of the tower. The arc reactor and its power were highlighted, appearing almost like a tree and its roots. "Possible breach?"

"There are no indications of a breach."

"Right, because that wouldn't be possible," Tony stated, sipping at his cup of coffee. 

"How is that, sir?" 

"Because I created the security system, JARVIS."

"Of course, sir." Tony nodded, flicking the hologram away. "Although, there was that time when Agent Coulson disabled the security with relative ease." Tony winced, glancing at the elevator across the room.

"You know, I'm not so sure that was entirely on me. In fact, you're the one that practically invited him to tea."

"Have you forgotten, sir, that you were the one who also created me."

"I know what you're getting at, JARVIS," Tony replied, pointing at the ceiling. "And that's not the point." 

"Then wha-s-I-se-pr-er..."

Tony's brow furrowed as the lights inside of the tower flickered, the fluctuation causing JARVIS' speech to malfunction. A chill ran down his spine as the air around him dropped in temperature.

“What the hell?...” Tony whispered, his breath materializing in front of his face. He glanced around the room and watched as the holograms and screens shimmered, until his gaze moved to the  power source in his chest. His eyes widened as he witnessed the device flicker as well. 

The electronics around the room suddenly steadied, the lights no longer fluctuating. Tony quickly moved to his computer, his fingers flying over the keys as he typed.

“We have already run diagnostics, sir,” JARVIS commented. 

“Well, we’re running them again.” 

“May I ask why?”   


“Because, JARVIS,” Tony started, staring at the computer screen as the scans filtered through files. “The device in my chest? It fluctuated, too.”   


“But-”   


“How could it have, when it’s an independent power source?” Tony finished, hands gripping the table.    


“Are you thinking of an interference signal from outside the tower?” 

“Maybe,” he answered, clicking his tongue. He crossed his arms, leaning away from the computer. “The system isn’t picking anything up, though.” Tony grabbed his cup of coffee and his portable screen from the table, walking across the room towards the couch. “Set up system-wide scans at regular intervals and increase security on all incoming signals.”

“Yes, sir. What shall you be doing?”   


Tony smirked, plopping down onto the couch and turning his screen on, cheers suddenly filtering through the speakers.    


“I’m catching the last half of the game.”

\---

“So, these creatures you call Leviathans...they are dead?”    


Crowley picked at a piece of lint on sleeve of his jacket. “No, but their boss is, which will make them all the more easier to hunt down and kill. However,” he stopped to sip on his third glass of Craig. “They are not my concern right now.”   


“Of course,” Loki agreed. “From what you have told me, you will be quite occupied with your relatively new targets.”   


“ _We_ will be, yes,” Crowley corrected. Loki’s eyes narrowed.  


“Which brings me to wonder, what will I benefit from your ventures?”   


Crowley’s eyebrows rose. “Oh, have I not made that clear? Profit shares, mate.” He sat back into the plush chair, smirking. “Your own royal guard. A tap into valuable resources.”   


“Ah, I see.” Loki smiled, tilting his glass to make the liquid swirl.  “And what, exactly, do you achieve from implementing my help? You must have a distinguished purpose for all of your efforts.” Loki’s grin widened as Crowley stared him down. “Perhaps the possible extension of your influence beyond this realm?”   


“What is it with gods and power?” Crowley challenged. “Perhaps a man just wants to sit back and watch the fire spread.”    


Loki chuckled. “But you are no man.”   


“True.”   


“And if your exploits place the planet in danger, you are aware that S.H.I.E.L.D.’s task force will retaliate,” he emphasized, grin disappearing.    


“Yes, that bunch of babbling idiots,” Crowley mumbled. “That’s why we’ll keep this hush-hush. A...covert operation, if you will.”   


Loki regarded Crowley as he finished his glass of spirits. “Your confidence is grounded, but you expect intervention,” he claimed. Crowley nodded shortly.   


“Unfortunately, yes. But not from your lot.” Crowley briefly bared his teeth, his jaw taut. “From two brothers and their pet.”   


“The same who defeated the Leviathans’ leader? Surely they will not be of great concern.”   


“I’ve come to realize over the past few years not to underestimate them,” Crowley growled. Loki smiled, lacing his fingers together and resting them upon his chin.    


“Do not allow them to cause you concern. When we’ve a secure hold over your enemies, I will see to them personally,” he assured. A small smile played at Crowley’s lips as he stood up to take Loki’s empty glass from him, winking as he looked down into the god’s face.   


“Sounds wonderful.”

\---

“We weren’t supposed to visit Stark Tower until a couple of days from now,” Sam grunted, shuffling behind Dean and Castiel as they approached the imitating building.    


“We’ll see your chick musical later, Sammy. This?” Dean pointed at the tower. “This should have been first on your list. Right, Cas?” he asked, turning towards the angel.   


“Indeed,” Cas replied, nodding. “It is a marvel of modern technology. I had assumed you would be excited to see it, Sam.”    


“Yeah, well, I heard the guy’s a jerk,” Sam explained.    


“Who, Iron Man?”   


“Tony Stark.”   


“But he is Iron Man.”   


“I know, Dean, but-”   


“There is a man behind that suit of armor, Dean, and you should respect him.” Sam and Dean stopped to stare at Cas, who looked between them, unfazed. “It is the truth.”   


“That’s basically what I was going to say,” Sam insisted, nodding. Dean rolled his eyes.   


“You just said he was a jerk!” Sam shrugged. “Whatever,” Dean said, turning from them. “Let’s go see if anyone’s home.” Dean rushed towards the gate, looking expectantly at the screen and keypad posted next to it. Sam and Castiel stood on either side of him, waiting.   


“Uh, Dean?”    


“Yeah?”   


“Aren’t you going to press the buzzer?” Sam asked. Dean swallowed, clenching and unclenching his fists.    


“Yeah, yeah, just give me a minute.”   


“Are you well, Dean? Your heart rate has increased,” Castiel observed. Sam laughed.   


“Aw, is Dean nervous to meet his hero?”   


“Shut it, Sam,” Dean snapped. “He’s not my hero, but he is a freakin’  superhero , so it’s a little...”  


“Scary?” Sam offered. Dean shrugged, his shoulders tense.   


“I guess so.”   


“You girl scouts need something, or are you lost?” Tony Stark’s face appeared on the screen, seemingly uninterested. Dean’s mouth hung open, too surprised to speak, and Tony raised his eyebrow before rolling his eyes. “Let me guess, you three musketeers are fanboys, right?”   


“We’ve come in hopes to take a tour of your tower,” Castiel answered, nudging the Winchesters into action.    


“Yeah, you’re awesome,” Dean blurted, frowning as soon as the words left his mouth.    


“Your developments in technology and in the field of science are unparalleled,” Sam cut in, grimacing more than grinning. Tony stared at each of them in turn before speaking.

“Right. Sorry to tell you boys, but the tower is under construction,” he stated. He pursed his lips, then huffed a laugh. “Besides, did you really expect to waltz up here to the vehicle entrance and be automatically granted access? Where is your car?”

“We did not dance up-” Cas started, Dean elbowing his side to cut him off. 

“My car? I didn’t want to risk my baby in this God awful traffic,” he answered. Tony nodded.

“Good man,” he said, eating a chip. “What type is she?”

Castiel noticed Dean’s face light up. “She’s a sixty-seven Chevy Impala, complete with a V8 engine and two hundred seventy-five horsepower. Looks brand new.”

“You, my man, have good taste,” Tony commented, pointing at the screen. Dean smiled and looked down at the ground, shuffling his feet, and Sam frowned at him. Silence fell as Tony continued to stare at them again, eating his chips. Sam cleared his throat, glancing out to the road, and Castiel simply stared back at the man.

“What are you guys really here for?” Tony asked after a minute. Dean looked up, smile still on his face.    


“We really did want to see the tower,” he replied. Tony regarded them for another moment before sighing.    


“JARVIS, let ‘em in.”    


The gates opened, leaving them a straight walk towards the door to go inside.    


“Just step on through and slip into the first elevator on your right. It’ll automatically bring you up here.”   


“Man, I really appreciate....” Dean started, but Tony had already cut the video feed.    


“See, I told you,” Sam snorted. Dean blew past him, practically jogging towards the door.    


“Dude, he’s letting us in! Be thankful for once,” he shouted over his shoulder. As they neared the door, Castiel glanced at the skies above them, the pain in his chest a dull thud. 

\---

“Wow, so, they’re each going to have their own floor?” Dean asked, looking at Tony with wide eyes.   


Tony nodded. “Each corresponding with their talents and needs.”   


“So, this is going to become the Avengers Tower?” Sam questioned. Tony swatted Dean’s hand away from a blueprint before glancing over at Sam.   


“Well, yeah. Why else would I keep just the letter ‘A’ outside? Thought it’d be obvious,” he explained. Sam frowned at him, but the man’s attention was distracted by Dean’s consistent attempts at sorting through the holograms.

“This is so awesome,” Dean whispered. Tony swatted his hand again.

“I said don’t touch,” he restated. Dean stepped away from the table and mouthed ‘sorry’. Castiel observed Tony from the window, regarding his self-assured movements. 

“Why would you trust us with this information?” He questioned, tilting his head. 

“It’s not really a secret. Most news channels have had stories about the tower’s development for months now,” Tony replied, continuing to sift through blueprints. “Besides, I can read people. Why?” He turned his body to stare back at Castiel. “Should I not trust you?”

“I did not mean-”

“No, your curiosity is perfectly reasonable. Why would I allow total strangers into the most securely guarded building in the nation?”

“ One of the most,” JARVIS corrected. Tony rolled his eyes before continuing. 

“The question still stands.”

“What, you're saying we're not complete strangers?” Sam tried. Tony raised his eyebrows and pointed at him, smirking. 

“Hey, he’s not as dumb as he looks.” 

Dean starting laughing, but was quickly cut off by Sam’s sharp stare. 

“You know us?” Castiel asked. 

“I know  of you...well, them,” Tony said, gesturing towards Dean and Sam. “And of what you claim to do.”

Dean’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean,  _claim_ to do?” 

“You know,” Tony started, twirling his hand in the air carelessly. “Hunting ghouls and ghosts, killing the thing in kids’ closets, stuff like that.” Dean and Sam exchanged a look, and before they could speak, Tony added, “You’ve been active for years. It was difficult  not to notice.” 

“So, if you don’t believe what we do is real, then what do you think we’ve been doing all these years?” Sam asked, crossing his arms.

“Hell if I know. LSD, probably. Oh, and let’s not forget all of the disappearances and murders that happened in every city you visited.”

Dean backed away from the table, stepping closer towards Tony. “Did you ever think that those happened  before we got there?” 

“What about all those taped murders a few years back, huh?” Tony countered. “Wait! No, let me guess. Those were your doppelgangers.” 

“Essentially,” Castiel cut in. Tony frowned and walked over to him, looking him up and down.

“And what about you? I could never pinpoint what you were doing, but you were always with them,” he said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. 

“I assist with the Winchester’s cause,” Castiel answered. Tony huffed, turning around so that he could look between each of them. 

“You really expect me to believe you fight things that go bump in the night?”

“Most people don’t,” Sam offered. 

“Until they experience it themselves,” Dean added. 

“Things that couldn’t be explained, no matter how much you tried to reason.” 

Castiel shifted, peering at Tony through narrowed eyes. “You faltered.”

“Excuse me?” Tony asked, facing the angel. Cas stepped closer, tilting his head once more.

“Have you experienced anything like they have described? Did something occur without apparent cause?”

“No.”

“Sir...” JARVIS began. 

“Quiet, JARVIS,” Tony commanded, looking at the ceiling. 

“But sir, as unlikely as it seems, these gentlemen may have a solution to our problem.”

“What’s the computer talking about, Stark?” Dean asked from across the room. Tony stood still, and Castiel could almost see the cogs of his mind turning as he contemplated what course of action to take.

“You know that my tower....” Tony sighed, rubbing his eyes. “You know that my tower runs on self-sustaining energy, right?” When everyone in the room nodded, he continued. “Good. Okay, well, there have been fluctuations in the power, and I’ve run every diagnostic scan possible. Nothing. The power’s not failing, and there are no leaks within the system.”

“Did you check for outside interferences?” Dean asked. Everyone turned to stare at him. “What?” 

“Yes, JARVIS ran several scans. Still nothing. Also, get this.” Tony tapped on his chest. “This is a independent power source, in no way connected to the tower, and it flickered, too.”

“Flickered?” Sam asked. Tony nodded. “Did you experience any drops in temperature when that was happening?” 

Tony blinked, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, actually,” he replied, his voice quieter.    


Dean turned to Sam. “We’ll need an EMF reading and some supplies...”   


“I’ll fetch them from the Impala,” Castiel offered, brushing past Tony.    


“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up,” he shouted, holding a hand up. “Are you saying that my tower is haunted?”   


“More than likely just this room,” Cas explained. “You felt the temperature drop in here, correct?”   


“Yeah, but-”   


“I’ll be right back.”    


Castiel began to unfurl his wings for flight - this human would figure it out sooner or later - when the sky suddenly darkened outside. He turned around to witness lightning crack across black clouds, the thunder echoing in his ears.    


“Looks like Shakespeare wants to chat,” Tony commented behind him.    


Castiel was about to ask what he was talking about when he glimpsed a flash of red darting through the clouds, and his heart lunged into his throat.    


Thor landed on the walkway outside, his hurried pace causing his cape to ripple behind him. If he had just arrived on Earth, then something else had been teleported here before. With Thor’s every step, Castiel could see the whirlwind of different emotions brewing behind his facade, and his suspicions grew as to what exactly that something was. 

“Tony, I need to speak with you,” Thor boomed. He glanced around the room at the other three. “Alone.”

“See, they’re helping me with a problem of my own, so maybe you could wai-”

“It is of great importance. Please,” he begged, his voice breaking. Softness briefly crossed Tony’s face before he nodded. 

“We can help!” Dean exclaimed, a tint of pink rising to his cheeks when everyone in the room stared at him incredulously. 

“Dean, no,” Sam intervened, grabbing his brother’s arm. “We have no experience with this kind of thing. Let’s just leave it to them.”

“You,” Thor said, pointing to Dean. Dean pointed to himself, glancing at Sam before stepping forward. “Yes, you. All of you,” the god began, looking across the room. “I can sense you have all fought in many battles. Tell me...what exactly is within your boundary of experience?”

“Fighting nightmares,” Tony joked, and Sam glared at him. 

“We fight things considered supernatural here,” he answered, and Castiel observed a flicker of hope cross the god’s eyes. 

“You deal with spirits, yes?” Thor asked. When Sam nodded, Thor placed a hand on his shoulder. “Then I aquire your assistance as well.” 

“What?” Tony asked, one eyebrow raised. “Really?” 

“Hey, we’re useful in our own way,” Dean defended. 

“What has happened, Thor?” Castiel questioned, his voice deep and commanding, sending the others into silence. Thor glanced at Tony, before returning his gaze to the angel.

“Do you all know of my brother, Loki?” He asked. Castiel’s heart pounded wildly in his chest at the mention of the Asgardian prince. 

“How could we forget?” Dean mumbled, earning an elbow to the ribs from Sam. Tony walked up to them, effectively completing the circle they stood in, one hand on his hip, the other rubbing his temple.

“Please do not tell me he’s thrown Earth into another crisis,” he groaned. 

“No,” Thor replied quietly. “At least, not yet. His plans are unknown.”

“Wait, what plans? I thought you had him locked up in your shining city?” Tony asked. Thor glanced at the ground. 

“He has escaped.” Castiel’s heart rate skyrocketed, blood rushing through his ears. He could feel the tether inside him pull and stretch, as if searching.

“He is here, on Earth...isn’t he?” The angel questioned, feeling suddenly breathless. Thor nodded. 

“He was securely fastened within magical bonds that he himself could not break. One evening, I went to look for him, but he had vanished. The Bifröst remains shattered, and with no magic to aid him...”

“There was no explanation for his disappearance,” Castiel finished. 

“Until we found Heimdall.”

“Your gatekeeper?” Sam asked, and Thor nodded. 

“In our search for Loki, we discovered him collapsed upon the old bridge of the Bifröst. He had  said some creatures took control of his body. He recalled remnants of the event, but not enough to explain exactly how Loki escaped Asgard. Heimdall only mentioned that the intended destination was Midgard, and the presence of black smoke.”   

“Well, I’ll be damned...” Dean commented after a few seconds of silence, and Sam turned to him.

“Dean. Can demons even travel through space?”

“Demons?” Thor questioned. “Is that what we are dealing with here?”

“It sounds as though demons were used to possess Heimdall and free your brother,” Castiel stated, the lump in his throat making it hard to swallow. 

“Cas, how did demons even get to Assguard?”

“Asgard,” Sam corrected.

“Whatever.” 

“Whoever sent them would have had to use a very strong portal and incantation; definitely archaic,” he explained. 

“Well, three guesses who’d that be,” Dean said, grimacing. Sam nodded, glancing at Thor.

“Crowley.” 

“Wait, who is this guy?” Tony asked, his brow furrowed. 

“Crowley,” Dean repeated Sam. “He’s the King of Hell, and it sounds like he’s going to use the brother of gigantor, here,” he said, gesturing towards Thor. “In one of his schemes.”

“This Crowley...he’s endangered the human race before?” Thor questioned. 

“Essentially, yes. But he’s rarely straightforward. He likes to make things...complicated,” Castiel replied, his eyes cast towards the windows. 

“So, he likes games, and he’s dangerous,” Tony commented.

“Correct.”  

“Maybe we should call upon the others,” Thor suggested, staring at Tony. 

“No offense, but they probably wouldn’t be of much help,” Dean said. “They’re not familiar with this kind of stuff.”

“But surely it could not hurt to try.”

“Actually, it could,” Sam interjected. “See, Crowley is skilled with manipulation. The more of you there are, that don’t know what they’re doing, the more chances he’ll have to destroy us from the inside out.”

“Sam is right,” Castiel agreed. Tony clicked his tongue, crossing his arms. 

“I’m going to make a phone call,” he said, walking away from the group and towards the bar. Thor turned towards Sam and Dean.

“You three are so willing to help...you remind me of my friends,” Thor stated, smiling briefly. “I am in your debt. Tell me of how to properly address you, humans.” 

“I’m Dean Winchester, and this is my brother, Sam.” The god shook both of their hands. 

“If it is not already known to you, I am Thor Odinson of Asgard.” Thor turned to Castiel, whose heart rate had not decreased during the entire conversation.  “You...are strange,” he commented. “You appear as a human, yet you exude power that they do not.” Thor’s eyes glanced behind Castiel. “And you have immense wings. From what realm are you?”

“You can see his wings?” Dean asked, looking slightly irritated.

“Indeed. Asgardians have abilities that surpass those of humans.” 

“Well, la-dee-da...” Dean mumbled, walking away, and Sam hesitantly followed him. Thor smirked, then glanced back to Castiel.

“I am Castiel. I am from this realm, but reside in a land above this planet,” he replied quietly, staring into the god’s blue eyes, which were very much like his brother’s. “I am an angel.” 

“You hail from your Father’s kingdom of Heaven. My own father has told me of such creatures, yet I have never been witness to one. Until now,” Thor chuckled, placing his hand atop Castiel’s shoulder. The angel wondered at the strength of his grip, like that of his father. “I am honored to have you in my company, Castiel of Heaven.”

“And I to you, Odinson,” Castiel returned. The ethereal tether within him pulled forcefully, pain surging through his every nerve, as he continued. “And I will do all that I can within my power to return your brother to you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please remember to comment/give kudos! More to come soon. :-)


	3. Chapter 3

“Why have you brought me here?” 

Crowley turned around to glance at Loki, his eyebrow raised. “What? You’ve got someplace better to be?” 

Loki rolled his eyes, gazing into several empty cells as they walked down a dark hallway, the rooms layered in debris and dirt. There were a matter of stains that grimly decorated many of the stone walls, of which he could only assume was blood.

“It seems you have a lack of prisoners,” he commented. “Has torture become bothersome?”

“Actually, business is doing fairly well,” Crowley replied lightly. “However, my current prisoner has  _demanded_ that the filth, as she called them, to be moved to another location. The others didn’t argue.”

Loki huffed a laughed. “You acquiesce to your prisoner’s demands?”

“No. But I thought, might as well have a bit of privacy. Don’t want word getting out on my...recent activities. At least,” Crowley grinned at the prince. “Not yet.”

“You have yet to tell me the exact details of your recent activities,” Loki stated firmly. “The only matter of importance that you have mentioned is the nature of your enemy. Where do I fit in your plans?”

“I’ve already told you,” Crowley began, stopping at an iron door. “Your powers are a valuable asset.”

“Of course. Why else would you have me here?” Loki’s eyes scanned over the door. “What I am curious about is what you intend to use them for.”

“Well, just call this a demonstration, then,” Crowley answered, opening the door and stepping through. Loki followed, treading carefully into the small room. As his gaze landed on the prisoner fastened to a table in the center, the prince froze, his pulse increasing.

Crowley looked over at him, a smirk gracing his features. “Never seen an angel before?”

“An angel? The creatures of Heaven?” Loki searched. The woman’s eyes blazed into his, her beige wings drooping hopelessly over the edges of the table. He inhaled slowly, the sight of her wings rushing in memories and repressed emotions. “I have heard of them, yes. But I have never viewed one with my own eyes...” The word ‘except’ danced on the tip of Loki’s tongue, but he swallowed it. 

“You look a bit shocked.” Crowley smirked again. “A big fan, are you?”

Loki straightened, regaining his composure. “I hold them in no favor.”

“Good,” Crowley nodded. “Then let’s get started, shall we?” He walked up to the angel, moving a strand of brown hair out of her face. “All you’ve got to do, is hypnotize her.”

Loki frowned, standing opposite of Crowley on the other side of the table. “She seems to exude a fair amount of power...”

“That’s exactly why I need you; I have no way to control her, besides the sigils on her bounds here to keep her powers in check.” Crowley stared at Loki as the prince gazed at the angel. “I want complete command of her and her...family.” 

Loki smirked, glancing up at him. “So you can use them to aid in your crave for destruction. Or perhaps a power play?” He returned his gaze upon the angel, her eyes wide with fear. “I am assuming that this is what you were referring to as my personal guard.”

“Indeed, it is,” Crowley replied, his voice growing quieter. “All that power at your side, ready for your disposal. You can’t tell me there’s not something in the universe you want.” 

Loki slowly raised his head, the prospects buzzing in his mind. “I’d like to add one more request in exchange for my services.”

“Oh?” Crowley raised an eyebrow. “What would that be? You want dinner first?”

“There is one person I know the permanent whereabouts of, whom I hold animosity for. The others either move constantly or are in hiding.”

“You’re talking about your superhero friends.”

Loki refrained from rolling his eyes. “Yes.”

“You want me to cook something up for that one?”

“I would.”

Crowley winked at him. “Consider it done, darling.” 

Loki chuckled, looking back down at the angel. “Excellent.”  

\---

_ Loki opened his eyes, the sky above him covered in gray clouds. The crisp ocean air filled his lungs, the taste of salt lingering on his tongue. His long fingers weaved through soft sand, and he watched silently as grains tumbled across his palms. _

_ A rustle of wings interrupted his thoughts, light footsteps approaching him from behind.  
_

_ “Loki.”  
_

_ The prince stood up, turning around to face the intruder of his dreams.  
_

_ “This is the first time I have dreamt in many years,” Loki whispered.   
_

_ “That was much of your own doing.”  
_

_ “But you were the one who initiated it.” He neared the intruder, eyes beginning to moisten. “Why did you leave me?”  
_

_ “You didn’t need any more distractions away from your duties.”  
_

“My duties? I was more  distracted  after your absence. I felt a grim emptiness for weeks!” Loki stated, his voice rising in anger.

_“Until...”_

_“Until it began to fade, and I thought that was the end of it. Then I was struck with a worse sadness...” Loki turned, facing the sea._

_“Your father-”_

_“I do not wish to speak of this,” he whispered harshly._

_A few moments of silence passed, the only sound being the crash of the waves as they greeted the shore._

_“You descend from the kingdom of Heaven.”_

_The air around Loki gusted suddenly, and he turned to see that the angel’s wings were taut._

_“How do you know this?” The angel questioned, his voice soft in contrast to his defensive stance._

_“You do not deny it?”_

_Silence._

_“It is obvious that the stars that embodied you in my dreams before were nothing but a guise, as you are now simply a...blur.” Loki frowned, stepping closer towards the angel. “Why do you hide from me?” he asked, his voice quieter._

_“Answer my question,” the angel demanded. Loki leaned back to stare at him._

_“I have been in the midst of some of your brethren, and they have wings much like yours.”_

_The angel rushed up to the prince, grabbing his shoulder, and Loki felt a strange pull in his chest at the contact. “They are alive? Where are they?”_

_“I believe it is your turn to answer.”_

_The angel sighed. “I never intended to trick you. I just wanted to protect you.”_

_“You sound an awful lot like my father,” Loki spat, shrugging out of the angel’s touch. “At least like the king who claimed to be so.”_

_“Loki...” The angel began, but the prince moved forward until they were a few inches apart._

_“Do not pity me,” Loki hissed, grabbing what would be the angel’s arm. “I do not need such words from a cowardly creature.”_

_The angel did not answer. His wings began to rustle as he stared down at Loki’s grip on his arm, the haziness melting away like snow. Loki’s eyes widened as he saw an arm, clothed in layered garments, until the angel pulled away, and the blur returned._

_“No,” the angel whispered, his voice sounding nearly broken. “It would be a risk on both our parts.”_

_Loki shook his head, stepping closer yet again. The angel did not back away. “The risk is of no importance.”_

_Loki reached out and placed both of his hands on either side of the angel’s face. The angel inhaled sharply, his body tense and his wings trembling. But as the haze began to dissolve, the prince felt him relax. Loki sensed the pull that he had experienced in his past dreams, bringing him closer into the angel’s presence as he gazed down into his striking blue eyes._

_Once the cloudiness faded completely, Loki beheld the angel’s form, his heart beating faster in his chest. He brushed the angel’s cheek with his thumb, unabashedly in awe._

_“You are magnificent,” Loki whispered. “For years, I have imagined how you would appear, and now that I have seen you, my words have left me.”_

_“This is simply a vessel,” the angel stated. “My true form can only been seen by the eyes of Heaven, lest others wish to die. It is merely too much to handle.”_

_“That is a disappointment,” Loki replied, a small smile upon his lips. “But the statement remains.”_

_“Your words and gestures are intimate...it is not like you,” the angel mumbled, holding the prince’s gaze. Loki could feel the angel’s breath ghost across his face, could feel himself merge deeper into his presence, but he blinked and moved his hands down onto his shoulders._

_“Whether it is or not...I feel at peace in your company. Something I have not felt in...some time,” Loki answered, glancing down into the sand and back up. The angel tilted his head, his eyes searching, and Loki felt a buzzing sensation in the back of his mind stir as he stared into the deep shades of blue._

_“You are...very open with me. I am just a stranger to you.”_

_“I do not think so...” Loki insisted, his grip tightening on the angel’s shoulders._

_The angel’s eyes widened, and he propelled himself back with his black, outstretched wings, causing the sand to swirl around them._

_“I must leave.”_

_“Please, don-” Before the prince could finish, the angel had disappeared, leaving Loki alone inside his dream. He stared off into the distance, the deep chasm within him reopening, as water flowed over his feet; slowly rising...consuming..._

\---

“See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Tony ignored Dean and continued to stare at the pile of ash on the floor. He pointed at it, his other arm across his chest, before tucking his hand under the arm. He tongued his cheek, blinking a few times before returning from his thoughts.

“How was that even possible?”

“Some things can’t be explained by science,” Sam responded. “They just... are .”

“See, that’s just a cop out. There’s always an explanation,” Tony argued as Sam cleaned up the burnt remains of a tribal mask. 

“If you need further clarification, a spirit is survived by either remnants of their DNA, or an object very close to them,” Castiel added, standing next to him. “At times, they are one in the same.”

“Yeah, and you burn the object to get rid of them. We’ve clearly already been over this,” Tony huffed. “That still doesn’t explain  _how_ this...thing-”

“Spirit.”

“Sure. There’s still no definite explanation.”

“I have just given it to you.”

“No, you haven’t. All you’ve mentioned is some superstitious bullshit.”

“You are more than just meat suits, as Dean calls them,” Castiel insisted. “Humans have souls, which will pass into either the gates of Heaven or Hell, or remain here by either incantation or choice, as you have seen.”

Tony turned toward him, face scrunched in annoyance. “What are you? Some ambassador of the church?”

“Of God. Or, at least, I was,” Castiel replied. When Tony just stared at him, he continued. “I am an angel.”

“So you’re saying; wait, you’re all saying,” he said, pointing at Dean and Sam. “That God is real?”

Castiel hesitated. “He is. Although, we are unsure of His whereabouts...”

Tony laughed. “So, a supposed angel is telling me I should believe in an absent God? Sounds logical.”

Castiel shook his head. “I cannot tell you to do so. It is your choice.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that He is,” Sam commented, Tony staring after him as he crossed the room.

“Enough of your quarrelling. While you talk, my brother may be in the midst of danger,” Thor interposed. Tony huffed again, plopping down onto a sofa.

“Your brother, the power-crazed, depressed child with daddy issues? Shouldn’t you be worrying about the threat he could pose to the Earth?”

“He is not all that you say he is....he was improving in Asgard,” Thor replied, stepping towards the windows. “But I fear that what has come to pass will place that progress in jeopardy.”

“Besides, I don’t think you have to worry about humanity,” Castiel commented. “If Crowley is involved, his plans will reach beyond it.”

“Right. This King of Hell, assuming that Hell is a real place, is-”

“You better believe it’s real,” Dean moved, his voice thick with anger. Silence filled the room, and Castiel could feel the tension rolling thick through the air. “Now, how about we quit arguing and come up with a plan. Cas.”

Castiel returned Dean’s gaze, his green eyes grounding him. “You sounded like you had a clue to what’s going on.” The angel glanced at the floor, anxiety swelling in his chest. He couldn’t lie to them; least not Dean. 

“I have reason to believe that Crowley is interested in my brothers and sisters,” he responded quietly. Dean crossed his arms, holding his gaze until Thor walked up to Cas.

“Your brethren is in trouble?” he asked. Castiel nodded.

“I assume so, yes.”

“Do you think this has to do with why you haven’t been able to hear them?” Sam guessed. 

“It’s possible. Crowley has not shown interest in the Heavenly Host before, but...”

“Maybe hunting Leviathans has lost its appeal,” Dean figured.  “What do you think, Cas? Could you try calling ‘em up?”

“Why bother?” Tony asked. When everyone turned to stare at him, he shrugged his shoulders, leaning further back into the cushions of the couch. “Think about it. If there’s something happening with the angels, or whatever, why not just go straight to the source of what you think is the problem?”

“Directly confronting Crowley is not so simple,” Castiel answered. 

“But we have done it before,” Sam ventured. Castiel shook his head, stepping towards the large windows to look out across the city. 

“Only when he wanted to be found.”

“We could try summoning him,” Dean tried. 

“I’m afraid that would not work,” Thor answered. “Loki possesses powers that shield him from even Heimdall’s eyes. If he is indeed working with this Crowley, he would be able to shield him as well.” 

“Hey, uh, Castiel, was it?” Tony asked. The angel turned to stare at him. “How is it that you jumped to the conclusion of the guy hunting down your family? I mean, they stopped talking to you before Shakespeare’s brother entered the scene. You have visions or something?”

Castiel stilled, his heart ramming into his rib cage. “I...” He struggled to find a suitable answer without completely lying. His mind raced to find words, but his tongue seemed to stumble. “I...”

“Cas.” 

The angel looked up to see Dean staring at him, his lips pressed and his shoulders tense. No. He wouldn’t lie. Not when Dean had just forgiven him.

“In a way, yes,” he finally responded. 

“Since when?” Dean asked. 

“I don’t normally have...visions. I haven’t in the past. Just with this particular instance.”

“Your brethren must be in extreme peril,” Thor stated quietly. 

“Yes, but why now?” Tony continued to question, standing up from the couch. 

“Excuse me?” Castiel asked in response. “My family has been in many battles in-”

“No, I mean, why are you suddenly having visions, if your family’s been in trouble before? There’s another variable here...something we’re missing.”

Castiel’s fists clenched at his sides. “Your inquisitive nature is best suited for your experiments, Mr. Stark.” 

Tony raised his eyebrows, glancing at everyone in the room before turning back to the angel. “Getting defensive now, little bird?” His eyes narrowed as approached the angel. “Why?”

“Hey...have I missed something here?” 

All eyes turned toward the elevator, where Steve Rogers was standing, duffle bag in hand. His face pulled a slight grimace as he looked around, before settling back on Tony. “You called?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave comments/kudos. More to come soon! :-)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, an update! Sorry about the wait. Hope you enjoy. :-)

“Holy shit, Sammy...” Dean whispered, his mouth hung ajar as he continued to stare at Steve. Steve glanced away, shying from the sudden attention. Tony clapped Dean hard on his back, waking him from his trance.

“You gonna faint over him, too, Winchester?” He mocked, and Dean cleared his throat and straightened his jacket, pink filling his cheeks. Steve returned his gaze to Dean, a small smile on his lips.

“So, you are the guys Tony was telling me about?” He asked, walking across the room.

“I suppose so,” Dean replied as Steve shook his hand, and then Sam’s.

“I hear you fight, uh, ghosts.”

“I hear you fight aliens,” Sam quipped, and Steve chuckled.

“Touché.”

“Hello, Captain Rogers.” Steve turned to see Castiel standing next to him, his hand outstretched. “It is a pleasure to meet a fellow ex-soldier.”

Steve’s eyebrows lifted as he shook the angel’s hand. “You were a soldier?”

“More or less,” Dean commented before bringing his attention to Tony. “So, did you call up the whole gang, or-”

“I did; gave a brief description as to what was going on, minus the whole King of Hell and angels bit.”

“The what?” Steve asked, frowning. Tony held up a finger.

“Wait your turn, dear.” Tony paced a few steps before continuing. “Let’s see, I called up some buddies from S.H.I.E.L.D. and they gave me the scoop. Tasha and Legolas are on some quest of their own, probably shaking a few trees while they’re at it, and Banner is hulking out in the jungles of central Africa.”

“So it seems that we are the only ones in this fight,” Thor commented to Tony and Steve.

“Well, hey, that sorta works out, don’t you think?” Dean asked, a grin beginning to split his face. “I mean, we’ve got the three of you with your specialization of fighting the villains and whatnot, so that hits the Loki problem. Then, you’ve got us three,” he continued, gesturing towards himself, Sam, and Cas. “With our own specialization of fighting the supernatural, which takes care of the Crowley bit. So, I suppose we’re kinda like...part-time Avengers?”

Silence filled the air between them as quick glances were exchanged, until, suddenly, Thor’s laughter boomed, and Cas observed how both Sam and Dean jumped, almost literally, out of their skins. Dean looked embarrassed, and Castiel couldn’t help but chuckle along with the god’s contagious laugh.

“Cas, are you laughing?” Dean asked incredulously, and the angel quickly replaced his smile with feigned bemusement, complete with the head tilt. “Oh, don’t play that card with me.”

“You have heart, Dean Winchester,” Thor said after quieting. “If you wish to be called a...part-time Avenger, then you shall.”

“In exchange for your services, of course,” Tony grunted, crossing his arms. Dean nodded, but Castiel noticed uncertainty flash across his face.

“Alright, this is fun and all, but I thought you called me here for a purpose,” Steve commented, no traces of amusement in neither his face nor body language.

“Well, don’t go get your star and stripe panties in a twist, Capsicle,” Tony replied, frowning. “Did you not just hear the previous conversation?”

“Yes, something about the King of Hell and angels? And this Crowley person?”

“Thor, catch him up to speed,” Tony said, and Thor nodded, gesturing for Steve to sit down on one of the couches before joining him. Castiel stared after the ex-soldier, an unsettling feeling crawling up his spine.

“Cas, you alright?” Dean asked, stepping towards him. Castiel’s eyes slid from Steve to the hunter, his head shaking fractionally.

“I feel as if something is...amiss, here.”

“What do you mean?”

Castiel squinted, concentrating on scoping out the room for unnatural energies. The only energy registering besides Thor’s was of foreign origin. It filled the entire room, yet Castiel could not pinpoint the exact location from where it was generating.

“There is a...presence here. It remains unknown to me.”

“What, like some bad zen, or something?” Dean asked, eyes briefly scanning the room.

“I suppose, something like that, yes.”

“Maybe there’s just too much power in the room? You just need to stretch your wings a little.” Dean looked over Castiel’s face once before gently pressing a hand on his shoulder in order to direct the angel towards the balcony. “C’mon. Let’s get some fresh air.”

Castiel allowed Dean to guide him out onto the walkway that hovered above the lines of streets below. He scanned the horizon made of hundreds of structures, the expanse of the city quite breathtaking.

“Alright, Cas, tell me exactly what’s going on.”  
Dean’s voice was stern, but Castiel heard the underlying tone of concern. He met the hunter’s gaze, his chest constricting as he attempted to inhale.

“About Tony’s inquiries.”

“Yeah.”

“Dean, I...” Castiel looked up to the sky, noticing a pair of birds nipping and clawing at each other amongst their flock. “I have a connection with another being.”  
Dean’s head bobbed once, his brow furrowing. “Alright, so, kinda like-”

“Much like our bond, except ours is considered more of the physical nature.” Castiel saw Dean swallow, but he continued. “The....connection I have with this being. It is more complicated.”

“Complicated how?”

“My grace is attached to his life force, essentially.”

The silence between them was stifling, but Castiel resisted the urge to fly away. He risked a glance at Dean, whose face wore a mask of fake impassiveness. Castiel could see the various emotions surging beneath the surface.

“How did it happen?”

“I saved this being, a very, very long time ago. Once he was safe, I decided the best course of action was to erase his memory, and I separated myself from any contact with his world. By the time I returned to Heaven, I knew there was something different in the manner in which my grace flowed. However, it wasn’t until the time when we were searching for a way to destroy Eve that I realized it was a connection; a bond.”

Dean seemed to soak in the information, keeping his eyes on the distance. “So, this _being_ ; does it know about the, uh, bond?”

Castiel shook his head, resting his hands against the railing of the balcony. “No. And I intended to keep it that way. Until...”

“Until what, Cas?”

“Until we began communicating through his dreams.”

Dean’s head whipped around to stare at Castiel, his eyes questioning. “Your visions?” Castiel nodded. “Damn it, Cas. Do we even know if this thing is a good guy? That your shared connection is _safe_?”

Castiel knew it was a matter of time before pieced it together in his mind. His heart seemed to sink as clarity gradually filled Dean’s eyes.

“Cas...” He paused to swallow, his jaw tense. “Please do not tell me that...that this bond is with Loki?” When Cas slowly bowed his head, Dean’s entire body stiffened, the air being pushed angrily in and out of his lungs as he breathed. “God _damnit_ , Cas! How could you do this?”

Casitel’s head shot up at that, a need to defend his bond overcoming all other emotions. “The connection made between myself and Loki was accidental. Besides that, he was a _child_ , Dean. A child in need of rescuing.”

“Why couldn’t you just let his big brother, or his father help him? Why did you have to go in, acting heroic with guns blazing? Jesus, Cas. Do you always act before you think these things through?”

“Perhaps you should ask yourself the same question,” Castiel returned, his voice increasing in volume. Dean seemed rather taken back by the statement, but the angel continued, his arms going taut at his sides. “My Father sent me to Asgard on a unknown mission. When I arrived, I heard that Loki, son of Odin, was in peril, and I knew then what I had to do. He was an innocent child, unclouded by the evil that surrounds him now.” Castiel stepped up to Dean, nostrils flaring. “Tell me again that my actions were uncalled for; were not necessary.”

“Well, it would have saved the world a lot of trouble if you would have left well enough alone,” Dean retorted, his face set in anger. Stubborn, as always. The glass of the balcony cracked and shattered as Castiel’s powers surged angrily within him, his wings shuttering with every heavy breath.

“I am sharing this information now so that we can stop Loki from committing another action that he will later add to his list of regrets.”

“Did you not see what he did to this city, Cas?”

“Did you not also hear from his brother that he was improving, Dean? That he was making progress? There is a goodness within him that is worthy of redemption.”

“He’s a monster! And what do we do best? We hunt and kill monsters. That’s how it is, Cas. Like it or not.”

“Do not forget, Dean Winchester,” Castiel began, stepping away, the wind surrounding them whipping forcefully. “That you yourself were once deemed a monster, and I saw past that and believed you were worth saving.”

Dean looked stunned, but Castiel’s fury was mounting exponentially within him. He knew he had to depart before he blew out the glass of the entire skyscraper. With one last glance at Dean, he flew off to the first location he thought of.

\---

Sam watched in silence as Castiel disappeared from the balcony, leaving Dean standing stock still amongst broken shards of glass. His brother and the angel caught the group’s attention when Dean began shouting curses at Cas, questioning why he had done something.

As Dean slowly made his way back inside the building, he glanced at each of them in turn, his eyes ultimately landing on Sam’s. Sam knew that look too well.

“Dean, are you-”

“Don’t fucking ask me how I’m feeling, Sam. Did you guys hear that? Our whole conversation?” Dean turned to look at Tony, then Thor, then Steve. They nodded slowly. Thor rose from the couch, carefully walking towards Dean, as if he were an enraged caged animal that could charge at any moment. Which was actually pretty accurate.

“I believe what the angel has said to be true. There were stories told within the walls of Asgard about the angels of Heaven, and that the city had been visited by winged men. Although, Father tried to keep them from Loki. It is made clear, why, now.”

“I don’t see any reason why he would lie about this,” Sam added, glancing over Dean nervously.

“Come on, Sam,” Dean replied, his voice strained. “First Crowley, now this. Not to mention that Loki is probably working with Crowley, which makes things a whole lot fucking better.”

“I thought you already forgave Cas about the whole Crowley deal, Dean.”

“I did. I mean, at least, I think I-”

“Dean.” Sam came up to him, placing a hand on his older brother’s shoulder. “You remember how broken Cas was about all that. You _know_ he wouldn’t willingly betray you again.”

Dean moved out from under his grasp, bristling. “I know, Sam. I just...this whole connection with the Prince of Evil thing? What if he doesn’t have his actions reigned in? What if he’s being controlled, or-”

“I do not believe Loki would commit such an act,” Thor interrupted, his arms crossing in front of his chest.

“Oh? And why not?” Dean spat out bitterly. “Sudden change of heart?”

“If the angel’s reaction towards you attacking their bond was that strong, I must assume that Loki would feel the same. That is, if he remembers his guardian.”  
A spark went off in Sam’s mind, and he grabbed at Dean again. “Wait, what if this is what Cas was talking about? His visions?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if Loki doesn’t remember him, so only knows about him through his dreams? He doesn’t know anything about Cas, or us-”

“Unless that Crowley character already told him,” Tony put in.

“Yeah, but why haven’t they already attacked, if that were the case?” Sam asked, his stomach churning at the new revelations. “I mean, think about it. Maybe it’s the other way around. Maybe this is how Cas came to the conclusion that Crowley and Loki were after the angels.”

“Because Loki confided with him in his dreams,” Thor finished, and Sam nodded.

“Exactly.”

“Since he was a young man, Loki did always speak to Father about a man made of stars with large, black wings coming to him whilst he slept.”

“Since whatever incident that Castiel apparently save him from?” Tony asked. Thor nodded, glancing at each of them. After a few moments of silence, Dean clapped his hands.

“Well, now that we’ve established that, we can focus on our new problem. Like where the hell did Cas fly off to.”

“He probably just needs time to cool down, Dean,” Sam commented. “It felt as if he was about the bring the building down.”

“Yeah, that would have been greatly unappreciated,” Tony remarked. Sam turned back to Dean.

“Look, I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”

“Yeah, if that evil son-of-a-bitch doesn’t find out and get to him first.”

“That is my brother you are speaking of.”

“And Cas, getting trapped in shit, like always, is my friend.”

“So, that’s all you know about the situation, then?” Steve asked, earning everyone’s attention. “That Loki and this Crowley may just be after some angels?” Dean brisked over to stand in front of him.

“Yeah, which also means that they'll probably be after Cas. Is that a good enough reason for you?”

An uncharacteristic grin spread across Steve’s face, before his eyes turned black.

“Yeah. Sounds like you’re still in the dark.” A grinding laugh echoed throughout the room as lights flickered. Before either Sam or Dean could reach for their guns, they were slung across the room, crashing into furniture, causing it to splinter and split. The demon possessing Steve attempted to sling Thor into the ground, but as it held up its hand, the Asgardian didn’t budge. The demon back-pedaled, barely avoiding Thor’s fist.

It laughed again, plunging the room in complete darkness; the light from outside the widows barely helped as storm clouds blanketed the sky.There was a grunt, a shuffling of feet, and a muffled yell before the room went completely silent.

After a few moments, the lights flickered back on, and the Winchesters were quickly on their feet, surveying the room.

“Would I be correct to assume that that was a demon of your realm?” Thor asked, twisting his hammer in his fingers. Sam nodded, furiously searching the room before he felt his stomach drop.

“Where’s Tony?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please remember to give kudos/comment, and thank you very much for reading. More to come soon...


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa there! It's been over a year, hasn't it? All I can say is life. Life happens; sometimes it sucks, and sometimes it rocks. I saw Thor: The Dark World, which ushered in all my Loki feelings again, which then reminded me of this fic, and I had to write. I've missed it terribly. So, without further ado (my deepest apologies for having you wait, but my immense gratitude if you're still around and continue to read), here is Chapter 5!

The search for Tony stretched, minutes feeling like hours, and the hours seeming even longer. Castiel spread out his senses, testing each corner and corridor of Stark Tower to catch even a shimmer of the presence of either Tony or the demon that had possessed Steve. They could not have gone far, Castiel reasoned, Dean speaking the same thought out loud as they continued deeper in the bowels of the building, sleek technology lining the halls instead of the expected machinery.

Thor had searched the unfinished floors of the tower, finding not a trace. Sam suggested they ask JARVIS, but he didn’t answer, most likely offline as a result from the surge of the demon’s powers once it revealed itself.

Cas had returned to the tower after a few hours of Dean’s and Sam’s prayers reaching him, relaying that both Tony and Steve were in danger. Rage from within made him stubborn to return, quite unlike him in the face of the needs of his friends. He was unsure if could keep his powers in check, the determined and defensive anger that pulsed along the tether constant and nearly overwhelming. Eventually, Sam had stopped praying, and Dean’s became softer, quieter. They needed him, and his loyalty would not let him squander in an abandoned warehouse in downtown London.

The search for Tony quickly and extensively became frustrating. Castiel couldn’t lock onto anything, the background hum of the tower’s energy the only relief to the tense silence between the others and himself. Although he remained focused, the tether pulled insistently at his attention until a thought graced his mind almost gently, like a low flame warming a chilled room.

He honed in on the strange presence he had felt in Tony’s balcony room, and immediately set off after it without a word. He caught half of a startled yell from Dean as he left them and flew to a room adjacent from the parking garage.

Castiel allowed a glimpse around the corner, his eyes taking in the small room designed to hold multiple rolls of blueprints, a transparent table near the center with built-in lighting to view such machinery designs.

“You enjoy taking things apart, Stark? Well I’m going to enjoy taking you apart,” the demon hissed, its presence masking Steve’s eyes with darkness.

“Really? That’s the best you can come up with?” Tony retorted, rolling his only good eye. The other was swollen, the least worrisome of the marks his body was spotted with. Cuts along his arms, torso, and neck, signs of a torture just beginning. “Give me a break.”

“No breaks for you, pipsqueak.” The demon held a serrated knife delicately along Tony’s throat and licked its lips, savoring the jump of the pulse beneath the blade. Castiel inched closer.

“You seem to be enjoying this. Didn’t take Rogers for a sadist, but hey, not everyone’s as vanilla as you’d thin-” Tony’s sentence was cut off with a pained inhale, the knife being pushed harder against his throat.

“Do you ever shut up?”

Castiel caught Tony’s eye, and for a moment the angel thought he was shaking his head no to him, until he replied.

“No. I’m told I’m a very good talker.” He paused, soothing his tongue over his bloodied lips. “You know, I never want to drag a conversation down, or make the other party feel obligated to inject otherwise pointless phrases, comments, or opinions that I don’t really care about, so I just keep talking.” His paced continued to speed up, his words barely given a pause between. Castiel stepped closer. “It makes them feel good, you know? It takes the stress off, makes them feel relaxed and like they’re actually a part of the conversation, even though the majority of the time the other party really has nothing meaningful to add. So, in the end it’s really just me having a talk with myself, which I do anyways, especially if I’m working. It isn’t weird to think out loud, right? Like, what are you thinking about right now? Please, share with the class.”

“I’m thinking I’m going to shut your ass up by cutting out your tongue first. How’s that?” The demon hissed. Tony smirked.

“Sounds like a downer. My friend doesn’t really appreciate downers.”

Castiel gripped the demon’s jacket and hurled it backwards, the knife’s reach now far from Tony’s throat. He strode up to the demon, but it knocked him backwards into a bin of classic car blueprints, causing them to scatter across the floor.

“Hey, careful with those! They’re practically antiques.”

Tony’s commentary was ignored as the demon flung itself at Castiel, the angel dodging and blocking its blows. Before long, the demon gained leverage and backhanded Castiel, casting him to the floor.

“I like this body. Not as efficient as that Asgardian’s, but it’s strong.”

“Not strong enough,” Castiel answered, kicking the demon’s legs out from under him until he joined Cas on the floor. Cas quickly rolled over and pressed his palm to Steve’s forehead, smiting the demon. Its scream echoed in the small room, and as silence prolonged, Castiel gathered Steve up from the tile. He flung his arm around his shoulder and walked towards Tony. A faint glimmer shone in the man’s eyes as he huffed a quiet laugh.

“You’re something, aren’t you, angel?”

Castiel didn’t reply as he flew both Tony and Steve back to the tower’s balcony room.

\---

“The connection has been lost.” Loki broke from his meditative state and turned to Crowley, who was absentmindedly swirling his drink around in his glass, making the ice tink against it. “Your soldier is dead.”

“So those buggers are with your super-juiced friends.” Crowley scoffed and sulked for a moment before meeting Loki’s eyes. “Thought you said you could conceal him?”

“I did. No machine nor man would have been able to detect anything past my cloak.”

“What about an angel?”

Silence pervaded the parlor as Loki’s eyes met stone. He held his tongue.

“You gonna answer me, god of mischief? Hmm?”

“As I have stated before, king of demons, I know nothing of the angels of Heaven. They may possess powers beyond my knowledge, or even yours.”

Crowley remained quiet at the logic of Loki’s argument. “Have the angels not stayed in their home? Do they know naught past their own realm?”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not.”

Loki stilled at the response. Surely there would have been tales of the angels visiting the city in the books he used to read in the library? Why strike out such a significant piece of history between the realms? His hands curled into fists at his sides as a fierce, unknown longing returned in his heart.

“I did test runs before I sent him out there,” Crowley spoke, breaking his reverie. “Sort of like an insurance policy, you see. I sent a demon dressed in a meat suit into the room I have our pretty little angel chained up, and you know what happened? Nothing. She couldn’t see past the meat suit. She thought he was a human prisoner, and warned him.” The king chuckled quietly before sipping at his drink. “So how did Winchester’s pretty little bird pet manage to look past your cloak?”

Loki tilted his head, eyes narrowing. “Perhaps he is more powerful than you previously thought.”

Crowley paused with his glass to his lips, as if in thought, then tilted his head back and swallowed. “I know how powerful he was. I’m not so sure anymore.”

“Perhaps we should use another course of deception,” Loki offered, entwining his fingers and laying them in his lap. “Family. What better purpose for it?”

A hint of a smile hovered on Crowley’s face while he considered the god’s proposal. “You’re turning out to be an adept business partner.”

Loki nodded, accepting the flattery for nothing. He had seen the minds of these angels, had experienced the effects of the lure of their power.

“How about we lead a bit of a recon, eh? Send a few birds to get eyes on our enemies, as it were.” Crowley stood and dusted his lapel. “I’ve got a few more caged up in the back. Managed to keep them asleep.”

“Call on me once they are prepared. I’d like to finish my drink first.”

Crowley smirked before bowing out of the room. “Of course.”

Loki turned to observe the dancing flames within the fireplace, images of worlds burning and ash-stained knees knelt before him flashing across his visage. He smiled to himself.

“Once one falls before me, so shall they all.”

\---

“I’m tellin’ ya, Tony, AC/DC is always better on vinyl.” Dean gulped down his beer, laying back against one of the couches in the balcony room as guitar riffs filled the space. He looked over to Tony, who was still checking himself over in a mirror.

“How did he do that?”

“He’s an angel. He heals things.”

“Imagine if we were able to tap that power, how many lives we could save.”

“Then it wouldn’t be considered a miracle, would it?” Steve chimed in, his eyes still distant as he looked out of the windows and past the city.

“And Death doesn’t appreciate an interrupted schedule,” Dean added. Steve spared him a look, and Dean shrugged and nursed his beer. “‘S true.”

“How are you feeling, Steve?” Sam asked, handing him a water bottle. Steve didn’t answer but took Sam’s offering and nodded in thanks. Sam took on a pitying look and placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’ll pass, trust me.”

“But memories still haunt you even years later.” Sam met his eyes before looking away. Steve walked past him to go out to the balcony.

Sam turned to see Tony still searching his body for any signs of trauma. “No cuts, bruises, or swollen lips, nothing. Wow. It’s like it never happened.”

“You shouldn’t pretend it didn’t,” Sam responded, and Tony stared at him before his eyes traveled to the balcony.

“I should talk to him, shouldn’t it?”

Sam nodded, and Tony returned it before heading out there himself. Thor paced across the room, glancing around, twirling his hammer back and forth between hands. “I know there is resting that needs to be done, but I still fear for Loki, and now for Castiel. If this Crowley knew of where we all take solitude, then I say we leave this place. It is nothing more than a trap.”

“And where would we go?” Dean asked, sitting up as he turned off the music. “Cas is gone, at least for the time being, and this is one of the most secure places in the nation. So says Stark.”

“And yet we were deceived so easily.”

“We’ll be more prepared this time around,” Sam replied.

“Loki deals in deception, and apparently so does this Crowley. It will only become worse.”

“I say we sleep, because it’s getting late, and we’ll pick this back up in the morning with plans buzzing in our heads. We gotta get our rest, man, or we won’t have strength to fight.”

A few moments passed before Thor nodded. “Agreed, Dean Winchester. ‘Til morning.”

\---

_It was more than just a sound or a song, but a flight of clarity. It rang true and so, so near, that Loki believed it to be all around him. A song that pulled at his loneliness and his pain, as if it meant to tear it from his very being._

_The song sang louder as he walked down a path through woods he did not recognize. He did not fear its mysterious dirt rivers because he knew the song was guiding him. Closer and closer it seemed until Loki realized it to be coming from within him, an involuntary melody that echoed through the wood. The trees could not return his song because it was far older than they, foreign to this land. The song belonged in the stars, and suddenly Loki wished he could see the vastness of the universe looking back at him through the canopy._

_Night turned green into shades of blue, and he yearned for it. Blue engulfed him, drowned him, and released him to the stars. Part of him used to hate the color blue, and part of him remained so. A color made of lies and misgivings, a color he could not trust. But this blue was different in that it wrapped him in warmth and peace._

_Blue. Blue were his eyes that seemed so familiar. Suddenly he was hunting for them. The blues in the wood were not the same. He needed to see the stars to be reminded._

_Finally, he reached an open field with thin, reaching grass, its wisps bending beneath the wind, unlike the dark wings that conquered it. The song did not echo any longer, but it sang true, louder than before as if strength had been lent. He saw him then, a matching song._

_“You visit me again, yet this time I had to search for you. Why make it so difficult when it is so easy to exist in your company?”_

_“Loki...” the voice faded, and so the prince stepped forth, the angel a blur like before._

_“Why do you still hide from me? I have already seen your face, and it is cruel to hide it away again. It is as I felt in the wood while I yearned to see the stars.”_

_“You nearly speak poetry. Why?”_

_“Why?” His question rang in the field, but he could not answer. The pull in his chest guided him forward, until he was mere inches from the angel. “I do not know. Emotion is not weak nor meaningless, but such wild ones I have...”_

_“Does it scare you?”_

_“No. It surprises me.”_

_“Emotions do not come so easily to angels of Heaven, yet I feel them pulsing through every inch of my Grace. It is strange...”_

_“Are you frightened?”_

_“In truth, yes. I fear for your safety. It is not easy to hold such emotions towards another and not be concerned for them.”_

_Loki yearned to become lost within the blues of the angel’s eyes, but he refrained from touching him yet._

_“You must know me. You must exist within the realm of Midgard, for these unknown stirrings deep within me are not without cause. Please.”_

_Loki reached for the angel’s face, but the angel did not retreat as before. A warmth bloomed in Loki’s chest as he placed his hands on either side of his face, the haze melting away to reveal blue._

_“Tell me your name. Tell me where to find you. Let this not exist just within dreamscapes.”_

_A battle raged behind the angel’s eyes, and Loki knew he wanted to speak, but something remained a hindrance. The angel took a deep breath._

_“I cannot, Loki. There are others that could be endangered, not just you.”_

_It burned the prince, but he did not release the angel. He could not. He long suspected there to be a bond between them, a bond that lived beyond dreams. If this was as close as he could be for some time, he did not wish to waste it._

_The god rested his forehead against the angel’s, and they both inhaled shakily, the intimate contact new yet familiar. Loki felt nothing but peace and a desire for closeness, and he knew the angel felt the same as his hands clamped down on his arms, grasping tightly._

_Loki felt breathless. “When I awake from this dream, call to me. Use our bond to reach to me. Do not allow me to drift in the darkness.”_

_The angel began to shake and Loki closed his moistening eyes, the angel’s breath hot against his cheek. Loki’s desire swelled and it was simple to lean down and kiss him. The pull of planets anchored him there, for their bond was stronger than most in the universe. Their lips moved together; simple, easy, yet even more terrifyingly brilliant than the suns. Loki was broken apart and reformed under the gentle touch of this angel that had been with him for hundreds of years._

_When their lips separated, Loki felt immediate loss._

_“Please,” he whispered, his lips trembling. “Do not leave me to this torment and hatred that plagues me. Do not leave me alone to wander the realms with the heaviness of my existence.”_

_“You have my word, Loki, that you will see me soon.”_

_Loki let him go, watching him turn to haze and then to nothing. The song sounded lonely and unfinished as the stars faded from the night sky._

\---

Loki woke feeling scorched. He attempted to bury his emotions, but the bond he knew to be real pulsed in his chest, and there was nothing to be done until he found the angel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope to update soon, because with all these Loki, Castiel, and Lokiel feelings buzzing around within me, I'm sure I'll need an outlet. I'm also already planning a sequel to this, so yaaaaay! Please leave comments/give kudos/share, and I'll catch ya next time!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to try to make this chapter a bit lighter, because angst can only be endured for so long, but, uh. It kinda. Didn't end up that way.

“Puny, insignificant, filthy _creatures_.”

What drove Loki Laufeyson through the crowded streets of New York City was nothing more than a whim, an impulse. A decidedly _infuriating_ impulse, at that. The mortals pushed together, currents colliding and forcing as they moved across concrete and asphalt. Too many sights, sounds, and smells insulted his senses, and Loki forcefully held his tongue until he tasted the metallic presence of blood, mere words from sending the humans around him flying or turning their bodies into bloodied mist.

Despite the effortless ability to teleport, he knew Stark would have his machines searching and scanning the city for energy signatures; and despite his cloaking, Loki knew that simply apparating near Stark Tower would leave traces. No matter how miniscule, the god would not risk the element of surprise. His leverage.

Although, as Loki’s guise was apparently being _manhandled_ by a small, suited man attempting to access a stand selling loose-leaf literature, he nearly disappeared altogether, his temper seething beneath his skin.

“Do you _mind_ , you irritating _imbecile_?” Loki hissed, loud enough over the ocean of noise that surrounded them. The suited man, clutching his purchase to his chest, gave a quick smile.

“First time in New York City, huh? Just be grateful you’re not driving through the Bronx.” The man’s accent was thick, and Loki’s jaw ticked, his magic threatening to spill through his fingers. Fingers that yearned to reach and _strangle_ , because no, the god of mischief had seen the city to ruin. The screams still sounded clear in his mind, his eyes remembering the exact shades of red that the city had been painted with, and it was so tempting to see what shade of red this mortal would bleed.

“No,” he strained to say through clenched teeth. “I have visited before.” If he were in his true form, the man before him would remember him and _tremble_.

“Ah,” the man replied noncommittally, weaving through the sidewalk that couldn’t possibly contain any more mortals. Loki frowned at the ease of which he was threaded his body through the crowd, akin to water against rocks. “Good luck, then. Look out for maps, they’re almost at every corner in this part of town. They’re sure to help.”

And then he was gone, swallowed by the masses as they merged, collided, and sent off into several different directions. Loki snarled, his body being pushed into one of those directions, his hand twitching at his side. It would be so easy to unsheathe his dagger and cut through the maze of humans that enclosed him.

“I am a god, you worthless oaf, I need not for maps or-” His mantra stopped as a wide expanse of space extended before him. He halted on the sidewalk, and if he were not so entranced by the sudden amount of lights, he would have turned and stabbed each human who shouted insults at him for blocking their path.

“Getcha maps right here for Times Square! Don’t miss out on any hotspot and attraction...”

Loki drowned out the human who was shouting from the corner, his frown deepening as he absorbed frantic steps of the humans as they filtered through many, too many, passageways, the lights on the buildings shining against the darkening sky, and as he thought of how illogical it was to think that time could be kept within a geometrical shape, one observation clicked sharp within his mind. His fists clenched and his eyes narrowed as he realized he had spent nearly a day following the siren’s song that had seeped past his dreams and remained in his ears. He had _wasted_ a day when he could have been improving his spells on the angels that Crowley had locked away in his prison.

He had started on the female with the beige wings, her eyes lit with lingering, delicious fear. After the first barrier within the angel’s mind had been breached, her _grace_ as the demon king had named it, it was surprisingly easy to reach the core of her being and induce change. He had weaved his spells carefully, green slithering around blue, choking out the fire with a satisfying gasp that sent chills down his spine and across his flesh. So much power, such _potential_ , and it was all quivering beneath his palms, ready to be exploited.

He should be creating his army, and instead, he had allowed the tether within his chest to tug him along the streets of New York City, through the hordes of disgusting mortals. He had told Crowley of his intention to scout, the lie easy, and he did not miss the hesitation within the king before he had nodded, returning to his torturing.

The tether was not as direct as it was within his dream, but he knew that his goal was near, that the man of stars was-

“Fucking tourist, stop in the middle of the goddamn street next time!”

Loki’s eyes lit with green fire as he turned toward the human, gripping his shirt and throwing him into the glass of a florist shop. The crash caused the flow of humans to stop before it increased, the fear nearly palpable in the air. Loki licked his lips as he stepped toward the broken window, slowly bending down to peer inside.

“Foolish,” he hissed, rolling his fingers to pop his knuckles, spits of magic cracking with his joints. It would be so easy.

Alarms sounded and Loki reached to pick up a couple of flowers, quickly inhaling their sweet scent. He laughed, turning past the corner and against the crowd, their faces blurs of color as they rushed past him. He strode slowly, a point amongst the chaos, and reveled in it. It slid along his skin and into muscle and bone, his very nerves vibrating. He inhaled, containing it, and turned into an alleyway, his guise shifting into that of a woman. He smiled as he smelled the flowers twirling between his fingers, allowing the tether to guide him further, wondering what other mischief he could concoct along the way.

\---

Tony poured himself another scotch. Hell, he’d probably pour himself another four if Steve kept looking at him like _that_. So open and pained, and so sincerely apologetic that it made him feel guilty about being the one who got tortured.

“Listen, Cap. We’ve already talked about it. I’ve already found it in my good graces to forgive you, and you know, it’s not at all helping that you look liked you killed a puppy and used him for slippers.”

There, a frown, to Tony’s relief. Something different, an opportunity to change the course and have Steve smiling again, pure truth and patriotism throughout.

“Tony, I don’t appreciate how lightly you’re taking this,” Steve replied, and Tony flinched, because yeah, this conversation was more than likely going to end in talking about feelings _again_ , and Tony really didn’t want to breach that boundary that he’d set up with reinforced titanium.

“Steve, you were possessed. By a demon. It wasn’t you, and yeah, maybe I’ll have nightmares about Captain America gone dark for a few days, but the fact remains that you didn’t kill me.”

“But I could have.” Eyes turned solemn and hurt, and damn, Tony was ready for a refill. “I hurt you.”

“And the angel healed me, which, by the way, I’m still reeling over.”

“And now that angel is gone. Who’s to say a different demon won’t attack, or bring numbers with him? We need a better defense strategy.”

Tony latched onto the new direction of conversation, as well as his scotch glass. “I’ve talked to the Winchesters. A whole lot of latin and graffiti are involved.”

Steve looked down into his hands, and Tony could imagine him replaying the scene in the blueprint room over and over like a film reel. Tony could still feel the serrated knife against his throat. It was quiet for a moment, before Steve finally looked up at him, a glimmer of retaliation in his eyes, and _that’s_ what Tony liked to see.

“I’m surprised that they managed to keep Thor grounded here.”

“They appealed to his emotions because they know we’ve still got defensive leverage here. They’re strategists. The lanky one also has this puppy dog look that worked perfectly on the big, blonde softy, so I’m not surprised they convinced him.”

Steve huffed a laugh, and Tony considered the slight elation in his chest as he saw it. Smiles belonged on his face, if they weren’t created there in the first place. Cap was pretty old.

“Sir.”

“Go ahead, Jarvis.”

“There has been a disturbance on Times Square.”

“Someone performing a musical number in the road again?”

“Uh, no, sir.” Tony refrained from laughing at the expense of Steve’s bewildered look.

“Bombs, robots, threats of world domination?”

“No, but-”

“Let Parker handle it. Give him a chance to stretch his eight legs.” Tony turned to Steve before he could ask. “You haven’t met him yet, but he’s one of the good guys.”

“Mr. Parker is unavailable this evening.”

“Bastard.”

“I insist you watch the video feed, sir.”

Tony slid his scotch glass away and his tablet between himself and Steve, tapping it twice before lifting his hand up, projecting the paused video in the air.

“Hit it.”

At first, Tony thought it was a simple tourist video diary, the young man in front of the camera making jokes with another man behind the camera, explaining what their trip was like to their apparent YouTube audience. Their banter was quickly hushed as they noticed someone standing in the crowd, their stance rigid.

“Do you think something’s a matter, Phil?” An English accent questioned, the young man looking behind the camera and then back to the tall man on the sidewalk.

“I don’t know, he’s just standing there. Do you think he’s lost?”

“I dunno...I would help, but I don’t think I could do much more than a map could.”

The man behind the camera, Phil, chuckled, and after a few brief moments, they walked closer to the taller man, the busy crowd of Times Square bumping and pushing at him. He didn’t budge as he looked around at the buildings.

“The man looks like he’s about to pop a blood vessel.”

“A quick word of advice to our viewers: don’t go into a major city without at least a map, or you’ll be like this poor soul.”

“Dan, do you think we should-? Oh my God.”

An angry, larger man pushed through the crowd, his hands balled into fists.

“Fucking tourist, stop in the middle of the goddamn street next time!”

It all happened quickly. The taller man whipped around and grabbed the large man, sending him flying through the window of a floral shop, the glass shattering and sending shards through the crowd. Both of the young men yelled, the video becoming shaky as they covered themselves from the sudden projectiles. The camera caught the taller man looming in the window, his body shaking. The man said something before picking up flowers and smelling them. The alarms started then, the taller man laughing, and the two young men videotaping the scene began running with the crowd, the lights of Time Square a whirlwind of color as the camera shook.

“He was completely _mental_.”

“Why did we have to come to New York _this_ weekend?”

Jarvis cut the video and the room dropped into silence. Steve watched Tony carefully, his mouth in a tight line. Tony tapped his scotch glass, his mouth darting out to wet his dry lips, before he crossed his arms.

“Was he caught?”

“No, sir. Reports say he simply vanished. There were a lot of people out, and it would have been easy to hide in the crowd.”

Tony tongued his cheek, and Steve cleared his throat, frowning.

“Did you see green, Tony?”

“I’m glad you’re not color-blind.” He would have liked to imagine it, the green the sparked around the tall man’s fingers, but it was there. Damn it. “Let’s find Thor. He should know his brother is in town. Jarvis, scan and lock on to all energy signatures at the site. Maybe we can catch when he shapeshifts again.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Are you sure it’s Loki?” Steve asked, standing up as Tony slid off his barstool. Tony downed the remaining scotch in his glass, a bit disappointed that he’d have to wait for a refill.

“No one throws someone through a window quite like he does.”

\---

Loki considered throwing the flowers into the water to see them swallowed by the currents that crashed around the rocks, but he hesitated. He had annoyingly become attached to blue; the smoothness, the energy, the sting. The _affection_. He physically recoiled, the word like tainted sludge that oozed down his spine. Blue were the flowers he held in his hand, and it reminded him of his dreams. Of the man made of stars.

The angel.

True, he felt an odd confliction. The same power he seeked to conquer was kin to the same power that had plagued his dreams for centuries. Yes, _plagued_ , because within dreamscapes, his emotions were brash, harsh, painful, and _open_. Every time he woke from them, their painful existence lingered, causing his heart to pound and his skin to flush. It was unwelcomed and hardly real, yet the tether within him was evidence to the contrary. He was the Liesmith, yet his silver tongue could not keep the truths from being uttered within his dreams. At least, what the dreams had made to feel like truths.

He had spun the web of lies thick around his world, and yet the angel was the blade that cut through it so easily.

He clenched his teeth, anger flaring into green flame around his fingertips, but the flowers did not burn. He quieted, his breathing uneven, listening to the siren song sing clear and strong. It was tempting. Loki closed his eyes and inhaled slowly, allowing his magic to spindle in his chest until, _there_.

He gasped, the tether a strong, pulsing _blue_. Green entwined with blue, and Loki shook, the power pounding through his veins, sending fire from his core to his limbs. He groaned, feeling the weight of gravity against his bones, pulling him down to the Earth, where he clutched at the soil. Light flashed behind his eyelids, bright and unforgiving as it pulled him from the Earth altogether.

_Earth. That’s all that existed, pulling him down, swallowing him, drowning him in soil and ash. Then, darkness. Falling. Fear._

_War and blood and the clash of swords, the roar of warriors and beasts, and a small cry._

_“Father! Brother! Please...”_

_Pure light and the anguish under a blade. Wings, dark as night. Blue._

Loki inhaled sharply, air painful as it rushed through his lungs. He bit back the swell inside him, the unrelenting blaze of a star that took shelter in his chest, tears spilling over his stinging eyes. He felt hot, much too hot, his heart thundering beneath bone, and it was _wrong_. He was cold. His heart was ice and his soul was the dark that engulfed it, where it survived and destroyed. Winter surged in his veins, his Jötunn blood. His words spindled blizzards, his touch created avalanches. But all he could feel was warm.

It was weak, he felt weak, his mind caught in a memory between existence and absence. Confusion and anger built in his throat until he was yelling, his hands shooting ice through the soil until even the wind could not make the grass whisper. He kept his eyes closed, the dark his only constant as it deepened, until nothing remained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'll try to update soon. 
> 
> I'm hurting myself writing this. Angst and Loki go hand in hand, but it doesn't mean I like it. -falls over-


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Memories, tenderness, and rage.

_“Father! Brother! Please, help me!”_

_The Odinson clawed at the blood-stained soil, his supine body pinned to the earth by rocks that had fallen just as he had. Through space and time they tumbled, until he lay in a battlefield of men and women slaughtering each other, their yells and cries striking a primal fear within the boy. Hands dirtied and red from blood not entirely his own, he pushed at the pile of rock that towered above him. Cause and effect led to a large rock being shaken from the top of the pile, the stone falling and nearly crushing the Asgardian’s head. Grimly, the boy thought of it as no consequence if his blood joined the others’ of the battle._

_The boy, careful of death hanging over him, slowly maneuvered out from under the pile, crawling as to not bring attention to himself. He watched as warriors and large predatory beasts tore flesh from bone, the sight sending the hairs of his neck erect with familiar primal fear. He felt for his small dagger at his waist, his mother’s teachings reverberating within his skull. Once opportunity presented itself in way of passage across the field, the boy jolted, his breath coming quick and painful as his legs carried him as fast as they could without tripping over themselves._

_It was a lone broadsword that halted his progress and sent him tumbling through the mud and coarse grass. The weapon, either forgotten during battle or lost from the cold hand of its dead master, laid gleaming red and silver in the harsh sunlight. The boy had half a mind to claim it as his own, but faltered once he saw a group of three warriors approach him. Two men and a woman, mouths bloody as if they had feasted on their fallen enemies like the beasts that roamed the prairie, shouted at him in a foreign tongue. His heart beat erratically beneath his ribcage, magic sparking at his fingertips in preparedness for action._

_He was quick, but the warriors had the advantage of longer arm spans and larger masses of muscle, born from fighting. He stuck one of the men in the thigh with his dagger and shot a blast of green magic into the woman’s face, making her scream. The second man’s yells took on the tone of fearful vengeance as he struck the boy with his club. The utilized bone and flake fragments embedded within the club punctured the boy’s side, causing him to gasp as he fell to the ground, pain shooting through his system and blood seeping through his garments. He had no armor on. He had the intention to play with his brother that day. It was not the day he intended to die._

_Yells turned to screams as the yellow sunlight shone blue, the encroaching light brilliant with power and energy that the boy could feel thrumming through his veins. A creature hidden within a man’s body overpowered the warriors, the dark wings jetting from his back swooping and menacing as he clashed with their swords with a blade of his own. The blade was sleek, long and light in the creature or would-be man’s hands, his skill evident as he slashed and stabbed, red staining white robes._

_The boy, although in pain and stilled with awe, battled with his own weary haze when he spotted a warrior approaching fast at the creature’s right flank. The boy ran as he cradled his wound, gaining speed with his building determination to help his protector. His own blood stained the hilt of his dagger as he approached, his grip tightening as he readied to unleash several fatal strikes despite the risk he calculated. As he passed the creature, ducking under black wings to reach the next attacker, the creature reached and grabbed hold of his arm, preventing further action._

_Distracted as he was, the creature struggled to fight the warrior with a single hand, his other still gripping the boy’s arm. When the slim blade was knocked from his hand, the boy shot magic through his fingertips, his reserves draining from him as his blood did the same. The warrior fell dead, and the boy anticipated similarly meeting the rough earth as his eyes slid shut. He could pretend the long blades of grass were his mother’s gentle fingers, caressing him as he slipped into a final sleep._

_He felt them then. Gentle hands in his hair before he felt weightlessness, the wind cool against his face. There was a faint lull in his floating, and he suddenly thought of a ship transporting him, guiding him to Valhalla. He had died a warrior’s death, and his father would be proud. Thor would be proud._

_Death’s embrace was kind yet firm; strong arms encased around him, warm despite what legends might have told. A force nestled in his chest hummed, as if it were an instrument, and the boy wondered as he drifted that maybe it had taken place of the air inside his lungs. A low mumble, sounding distant as if muffled by water, reached his ears and caused the force to stir. He shivered and the embrace tightened. The lulling sent him adrift into unconsciousness._

_After an unknown amount of time passed, crackling fire and familiar softness of bed linens brought his mind back, although his eyes remained closed. He wondered what Valhalla would look like once he was able to open them._

_“I protected him, and he I. We spilled blood together, and I will not yet leave his side. Not until I have absolute knowledge he will heal.”_

_The force in the boy’s chest replaced the pulse of his heart, the blood in his veins. He heard labored breathing and a faint rustling of wings. Time passed._

_“I do not wish for the boy to remember me.”_

_Panic ebbed through his consciousness, and the force reached for the unknown voice in the dark._

_“I feel as though it will only cause you and your house further distress. No doubt Loki would seek me out...”_

_The force pushed, expanding his ribcage and clawing at his throat. He wanted to scream. He felt cold, much too cold, and his body urged to toss itself into the fire. This was not Valhalla and he wanted nothing more than to escape, carried away by ebony wings._

_He felt gentle hands, the blood stained prairie grass, and then all he saw were stars. The force quieted and returned his blood and breath to him, and left him cradled in sleep._

\---

A low mumble reached his ears, and Loki shivered, his mind returning from escaped memories. Slowly, events clicked within his mind, and the force within his chest quivered in faint excitement for being remembered. A tether, his mind supplied, to the man made of stars. The creature, the angel, that had saved him from a bloody fate all those years ago. Something hot burned in his chest, battling the tether for space, but he was still too cold to feel anything but numb.

The mumble sounded again, and Loki wanted to chase it and devour it, the familiar echo of it leaving his bones aching and his limbs heavy. He could not yet open his eyes, and he felt breath move past his lips in a sigh. Through the cold, he felt warm, gentle hands; the same hands from his memory. The same as the grass that witnessed the exhilarating mixture of red, blue, and green.

He faintly remembered the park in New York City, and curiously felt the ground beneath him. Weathered stone slid under his fingertips, and he wondered how long he’d been lost to the sea of reconstructed memories. He assumed it was night since he felt no warmth from above and light did not bleed through his closed eyes. It would be some time before the ice melted from the city park, and Loki’s mouth twitched as he huffed his amusement.

Warm hands were on him again, and he felt the sudden urge to encase the being in ice until every drop of warmth was stolen from their body. He tested his fingers and felt his magic spark. It would be so easy.

“If you were to harm me now, I couldn’t blame you.”

Loki froze, his voice caught in his throat as his heart thundered in his chest. His tether began to sing of its own accord, searching for its partner.

“All that I’ve put you through...perhaps if I had let well enough alone, it would have somehow changed what has happened.”

Loki swallowed around the implication, his mouth dry and his nerves stinging with magic.

“I have always been a monster; no amount of action or time would change that,” he replied, able to open his eyes but unwilling to do so. Fear trickled cold in his veins at the stretched silence, a quick intake of air the only sound penetrating through it. The hands were on him again, and Loki cursed as his body betrayed him and leaned into the touch.

“You were never a monster, Loki.”

“But neither was I a victim.”

Loki opened his eyes to find the man of stars hovering over him, his piercing blue gaze slowly being tainted with pity. Loki felt the burn in his chest return and finally recognized it as rage. He sat up and turned his body, the angel reacting in time, until they were facing each other; Loki in a half crouch, and the angel on his knees. The god smirked.

“After centuries of waiting and asking, you finally appear before me,” he began, bitterness acid on his tongue. “What have I done to receive such an honor?”

“You froze half of Central Park. I had mere minutes before someone found you.”

“I don’t need protection,” Loki hissed, his fingers twitching in anticipation. His tether stretched and sang, the reverberations causing him to tremble. If the angel was affected by it, he was very good at hiding it. His bright eyes still held pity, and the god wanted to rip them from their sockets.

“You were unconscious, and...” The angel touched his chest meaningfully. “It was too loud to ignore.”

A different fire than his rage licked up Loki’s back and he clenched his fists.

“You hear it, then?” Perhaps a stupid question, but the god shook with the absolute force of the pull between their bodies. The tether knew that its partner was mere feet away, and after centuries, it desired intimacy. Loki grit his teeth as the angel nodded.

“It is proving very difficult not to surrender to it.”

 _Then why don’t you_ , Loki wanted to yell. He kept his tongue behind his teeth, rage still burning hot within him. He had his questions, the sheer amount of them choking him, but he settled after a moment’s pause. He stood, and the angel followed suit.

“Why did you save me?”

The angel froze, his knuckles white within his fists. Loki noted with satisfaction that the pity drained from his eyes, only to be replaced with unchecked caution.

“You remember.” It wasn’t a question, but it laid thick and heavy in the air as one would.

“Yes.”

The angel paused, stepping forward. Loki didn’t retreat.

“I was sent to your realm on an unknown mission. I heard your cries and followed you through a portal, before finding myself in the midst of battle.” He paused, taking a steady breath. “If I were to assume my Father had divined that I would be needed in Asgard, it would have been for the purpose of saving you.”

Loki’s heart beat unevenly, the stench of flesh fresh in his mind and the crush of the club a phantom pain against his ribs.

“And my...” Loki cleared his throat. “And Odin asked you to leave, did he? Too proud to recognize a hero when one is in his presence.” The angel noted his bitterness, his jaw working as he prepared his reply, but Loki’s blood was flame, and moisture threatened to mist his vision.

“No, you wanted to leave, but before doing so, you wanted me to _forget_.” Green flames danced in his palms, and he swallowed down sentiment as it rose like bile in his throat. The angel stood his ground as Loki strode forward, leaving few feet between them.

“It was for you and your brother’s safety, as well as Mid-”

“Do not bring Thor into this,” he whispered with a hiss.

“Then for Earth,” the angel replied. His face was stoic but his eyes wared with his emotions.

“Ah, yes, your precious Earth. You and your angel brethren are her protectors, so where were you when I laid this city to _waste_?” Fury consumed blue, and Loki felt excitement bubble in his gut at the struck nerve.

“The Earth has her Avengers, and we had other problems to deal with,” the angel enunciated, his lip curling in the corner. “Space is not the only home to Earth’s enemies, but I know you have befriended at least one.”

The accusation struck Loki’s core, and the siren song stopped. His tether silently reached, begging for the few steps it would take to be reunited and complete the song. Loki wared with himself, his hand devoid of magic finally reaching up to touch the angel’s face. Blue flames cooled as the angel stared, waiting.

“So you’re the one residing in Stark’s tower. The Winchester’s _pet_.”

The angel flinched, sadness battling with vengeful affirmation in his eyes. “Those words are not your own.”

Loki retracted his hand, an emotion he would not recognize curling obsessively in his gut. “Your sentiment for those humans far outweighs any you claim to have for me.”

“I have a different relationship with the Winchesters than the one I have with you, Loki.”

Loki shoved the angel back, magic shooting up his arms. “What _relationship_?” His sharp laugh cut through the angel’s defenses, the creature crumpling fractionally. “I don’t even know what name to call you, and yet you stand there as if we are closer than the atoms that compose the elements.”

“Castiel.”

The god paused, his magic descending down to his wrists. The angel stepped closer, unafraid.

“My name is Castiel. I didn’t allow you to know before in fear of your memory returning.”

_“It was not by chance that you came here, Castiel of Heaven.”_

Loki trembled as the memory began to resurface once more. Castiel moved to hold him up, his grip firm and warm as it had been in the bloodied prairie.

“I am sorry for the lies that have been spun since that day. I never meant to harm you,” he whispered, his voice carrying authority and truth. Loki would have been a fool to deny it. A chaste kiss was pressed softly against his forehead, and Loki released a sigh, the rage within his chest abating. He heard the sweet siren song once more, and his tether joined in the duet, finally complete.

Loki was unsure of how much time passed before he was stirred by the bright pinks and oranges created by the sunrise. He saw that he was on top of a stone church, the buildings of New York City towering silhouettes against the first light. He continued to hold on to Castiel, the angel’s grip never wavering in its strength, their tether’s song the same in many ways. The god kissed him, a light parting of lips, before the angel pulled away to look at him.

“Your business with Crowley must end. I will not allow you to continue to harm my brothers and sisters.”

Loki had expected such a demand. He thought of the warmth of his hands, the song of their tether, the blood and smoke of battle, and finally, of Asgard. He recalled the taste of a potent power that only furthered his hunger.

“It will be difficult to dissuade his ambitious goals,” the Liesmith replied, his arms stiff as he released his hold on the angel. Castiel stepped back to give him space, and the god noted the act of courtesy.

“Work with the Winchesters and I. Match the King of Hell’s deceit with your own, and we can derail his plans.” The offer was tempting, and Loki didn’t miss the mischievous glint in the angel’s eyes that set a smile on the god’s face.

“I’ll see what I can do.” Ideas mapped themselves as Loki planned, stepping back as the angel nodded. He considered the tether’s pull and fought it. It couldn’t become a hindrance. “I’ll contact you soon.”

Loki left Castiel on the church’s rooftop, thinking faintly on what would be a faster mode of travel; the angel’s dark wings, or his teleportation. He thought of the presence of the expansive things, the way they moved with his body; a striking example of grace on the battlefield.

_“I protected him, and he I. We spilled blood together, and I will not yet leave his side.”_

Time would test loyalties.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I quite enjoyed writing this chapter, especially the memory sequence, so I hope you enjoyed reading it! Thank you for reading, and I'll catch you guys at the next update. Until then, meine lieben.


End file.
